"I eat, therefore I poop." - Renee Descartes (mistranslated by Daniel Berger-Jones.
Poop. Caca. Dookie. For most of us, it's an everyday activity. But how much do we really know about it?
What did people do before toilet paper? Before toilets? Why does it look and smell and, gulp, sound like that? Who realized we shouldn't keep it all around us, and how did people find ways to move it?
And: What does poop teach us? Can we turn shit into gold?
This week, Jolts and Zing take the plunge into the depths of what it means to be alive and, therefore, to Poop.
Today: The History of Poop, Manure to Sewer
Warnings: Strong Language, naughty humor, graphic bodily functions.
Sources:
- Remaking the John: The Invention and Reinvention of the Toilet, by Francesca Davis DiPiazza
- Poop Happened: A History of the World from the Bottom Up, by Sarah Albee
- Gates Foundation: 10 Years of Reinventing the Toilet
- Medical Advances Survey
- https://www.gatesnotes.com/Omniprocessor-From-Poop-to-Potable
Donate to support Get Shocked!
Created, Written and Co-hosted by Daniel Berger-Jones and John J King.
Produced and Edited by Kenneth Fuentes.